2014 NFL Draft Scouting Report: San Jose State QB David Fales

San Jose State quarterback David Fales may be one of the most intriguing under-the-radar players in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The redshirt senior, who became San Jose State’s starter last year and made a great first impression, has had a long journey to get where he is today. He had a very successful high school career, but was not recruited by very many schools and ended up at Nevada. After spending his freshman year there, he decided to transfer to Monterey Peninsula College for the next two seasons.

He ultimately decided to go to San Jose State, and after all his experience, there’s a chance that he could be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the draft next year.

Fales’ playing style is very similar to that of Stanford product and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. He’s very athletic, but usually stays in the pocket and relies on his passing ability to bring him success. It only takes watching Fales for a few plays to recognize that he is exceptionally accurate and has great composure.

His statistics back that belief up, as he completed 72.5 percent of his passes last season and threw for 33 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. He hasn’t been quite as dominant so far this season, especially in the team’s season opener against Sacramento State, but he has still completed 60 percent of his passes.

The one obvious issue with Fales is the level of competition that he’s faced, as San Jose State spent last year in the WAC and this year is in the Mountain West. He’s faced Stanford twice and played against BYU last year, but the defenses he’s going against are by no means elite. Fales will need to show through combine workouts and any postseason All-Star game opportunities he may receive that he has what it takes to play at the next level.

These days, though, that is not an impossible task. Not too many people had heard of Central Michigan‘s Eric Fisher at this time last year, but after a great Senior Bowl showing, he ended up being the first pick in the draft. If Fales continues to play at the level he did last year, he could experience a similar jump up draft boards.

Positives

Does a good job of avoiding rushers and moving around quickly in the pocket

Very accurate passer from short and long distances and puts up a good deep ball

Gets rid of the ball quickly

Good drop-back progression and has a very fluid motion

Negatives

Doesn’t regularly play against a very high standard of competition, and he only has one full year of starting experience thus far

Tends to collapse when surrounded by defenders

Will have to learn new positioning and footwork in the NFL; usually operates in shotgun 5-6 yards behind the line of scrimmage

A very traditional drop-back quarterback, isn’t going to scramble

2013 Outlook

It would greatly aid Fales to put up numbers similar to those he had last year. This past weekend against Stanford, which will more than likely be the best team Fales faces this year, he performed pretty well, going 29-for-43 for 216 passing yards, plus a touchdown and interception.

San Jose State won’t face any elite teams for the rest of the year, so it is time for him to step it up if he wants to compete with big-time draft prospects such as Teddy Bridgewater, Aaron Murray, and A.J. McCarron.